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15 Day Classic Scandinavia 2007
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Please call 1 866 725 5250 to check availability and to get tax-inclusive rates from most US cities
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Book By
Dec 15 2006
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Book After
Dec 15 2006
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2007
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May 23
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$3499
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$4079
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Jun 6
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3529
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4099
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Jun 27; Jul 18
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3549
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4099
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Aug 29
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3499
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4079
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Sep 19
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2999
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3599
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TENTATIVE ITINERARY
Day 1, Wed Depart USA to Denmark. Your flight includes meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journey
Day 2, Thurs Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner and orientation (D): COPENHAGEN
Day 3, Fri Today, enjoy a city tour of Copenhagen. View the Tivoli Gardens, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, the colorful canal district, National Museum and Christiansborg Palace, seat of the Danish Parliament. Continue to the Old Stock Exchange with its dragon-tail spire to see the 19th century Royal Danish Theatre, home to The Royal Theater Company, Royal Danish Opera and Royal Danish Ballet. The Royal Theatre houses two main stages: the New Stage and the Old stage, which dates to the Theatre's inception, and whose ceiling is adorned with the famous Nine Muses by Constantin Hansen. View the harbor district of Nyhavn and Amalienborg Palace, winter residence of the Royal Family, as well as the changing of the Guard (when held). Visit the Gefion Fountain, designed and erected in 1908 by Danish artist Anders Bundgård, as well as The Little Mermaid statue, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale. Take the remainder of the afternoon to explore the city on your own (B): COPENHAGEN
Day 4, Sat Morning at leisure in Copenhagen, or choose an optional castle tour in the Danish countryside. Begin with a visit to Frederiksborg Castle, the largest Dutch Renaissance palace in Scandinavia, begun by King Frederick II in 1560. Situated on three small islands in the Palace Lake, the castle is bordered by a Baroque formal garden, used today for open cultural events such as art exhibitions, concerts and plays. While at the castle, view the Chapel of Orders, the Rose, Knight's Hall and the Museum of National History, housed in the castle since 1878, and home to Denmark's most important historical paintings and portraits. Continue on through Denmark's Northern Zealand region for a view of the Royal Family's summer residence, Fredensborg Palace. From here, travel to Elsinore for a chance to see the outer walls and towers of Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the setting of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark ($63). Afterwards, transfer to the port for an overnight cruise to Oslo. On board, enjoy a buffet-style dinner and private cabin. Important note: An overnight bag will be required for your time on the ferry (B, D): DFDS FERRY
Day 5, Sun This morning, arrive through the famous Oslo Fjord into Norway's capital city. Begin your tour of Oslo, passing the National Theater, and on to visit the main square with its Old Cathedral and 19th century Royal Palace. Visit the Vigeland Sculpture Park, designed by Gustav Vigeland in the early 19th century. The park contains an impressive 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, the most intricate of them being the Monolith column, measuring 46 feet high with 121 human figure reliefs. Carved from a single block of granite, the Monolith took three stone sculptors and 14 years (1929-43) to complete. Continue to the modern City Hall. Later, venture out on your own to view the Ski Jump or the Viking Museum (B): OSLO
Day 6, Mon Begin your morning with a journey to the sides of fjords, lakes, mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. Traveling through the Norwegian countryside, pass through ski resorts such as Geilo to the port of Bergen. Interestingly, this 11th century city was a major distributor of the wealthy trading guilds of the Hanseatic League, and still derives its income from the sea (B): BERGEN
Day 7, Tues Enjoy a full-day at leisure to explore Bergen on your own. Saunter the narrow lanes of wooden houses huddled around the port, and maybe even visit the 19th century Bergen Museum of Arts and Sciences. Shop for gifts at the famous Bryggen, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site; visit Troldhaugen, the villa of composer Edward Grieg, dating from 1885, or ride the funicular up to Mount Floyen (B): BERGEN
Day 8, Wed This morning, board the Flam Railway for a mountain train ride into Norway's high glacial region. View pastures, waterfalls and snow-clad peaks, all nestled beautifully into the surrounding mountain side. Ascend to 3,000 feet within 12 miles for one of the most scenic views of Norway. Once in Flam, enjoy a relaxing cruise across the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest Norwegian Fjord. Arrive at your hotel in Laerdal for dinner and an overnight (B, D): LAERDAL
Day 9, Thurs This morning, continue through the Norwegian countryside to the quaint village of Borgund, where you will visit one of the largest and best-preserved stave churches in Norway, built around 1180. Aside from the church's unique facade, which appears to have been plucked from a medieval fairytale, the church's interior walls are equally impressive, featuring an authentic baptismal font made of soapstone. From here, travel through the cheese producing district to reach Lillehammer, site of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Enjoy time at leisure in Lillehammer to visit the Olympic Museum or the Maihaugen Museum of Rural Life, the largest open-air museum in Norway. The Maihaugen features 185 buildings, the most famous of them being the 12th century Garmo stave church. This evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel (B, D): LILLEHAMMER
Day 10, Fri Travel to the airport in Oslo for a short flight to Sweden. Upon arrival in Stockholm, “City on the Water,” transfer to your hotel for an evening at leisure (B): STOCKHOLM
Day 11, Sat This morning, enjoy an exciting city tour of Stockholm. Visit the City Hall's "Gold Room," where the Nobel Prize banquets are held. Continue to the medieval island in the heart of the city, known as the Gamla Stan (Old Town). View the 13th century Storkyrkan Cathedral, the oldest church in Stockholm, most recognized for its extravagant wooden statue of Saint George and the Dragon ascribed to Bernt Notke, the famous German painter and sculptor. From the cathedral, walk the cobbled streets of the Old Town and see the Renaissance Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch. Spend the afternoon exploring the historic streets of the Gamla Stan, or join an optional tour to one of Europe's greatest attractions, the Wasa Ship. Housed in Stockholm's Vasa Museum, the Wasa tragically sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, only to be recovered more than three centuries later in 1956, where it was lifted from the Baltic and preserved ($33) (B): STOCKHOLM
Day 12, Sun Enjoy the morning at leisure. Perhaps do some last minute shopping or continue to explore Stockholm on your own. In the late afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight to Helsinki. Upon arrival in Helsinki, transfer to your hotel (B): HELSINKI
Day 13, Mon Today, tour the capital city of Helsinki, Finland's cultural, financial and intellectual center. Begin your tour by passing Helsinki's historical center, known as the "King's Road," and on past the Presidential Palace, City Hall, Parliament buildings, Finlandia Hall and Opera House. Stop for a visit at the Sibelius Monument, an abstract steel pipe sculpture built to commemorate the late Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. From here, continue to Temppeliaukio Church, a unique structure bored from a solid bedrock formation. The interior walls of the church are exposed rock and provide excellent acoustics for this popular concert venue. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure to explore Helsinki on your own (B): HELSINKI
Day 14, Tues Spend the day at leisure in Helsinki or join an optional full-day excursion to the medieval city of Tallinn. Venture across the Gulf of Finland in a catamaran to reach to Estonia's capital city. After arriving in Estonia, begin a tour that takes you past the Song Festival grounds, the Kadriorg Park and Palace, founded in 1718 by Peter the Great, and the ruins of the 15th century Brigit's Convent in Pirita. Enter the Old Town, known as the "city of the citizens," and enjoy a guided walking tour through the cobblestone streets, passing historical buildings and breathtaking vistas along the route. Many of the sites include St. Olaf's Church, the 14th century Gothic Town Hall and Pharmacy, one of the oldest still functioning pharmacies in Europe, and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn's largest and most impressive cupola church. Following you tour, delight in a three course lunch at a restaurant in the Old Town district. After lunch, spend time exploring the city before returning to Helsinki ($199) (B): HELSINKI
Day 15, Wed Transfer to the airport for your departure flight (B).
Please note that Gate 1 Travel uses full size motorcoaches and not our usual mini-coaches. Groups up to 40 guests per departure are the norm on Gate 1 escorted tour vacations.
Many other tour itineraries to Europe - including exciting new itineraries to Croatia, Russia and the Baltics - are available from Gate 1 Travel, too many to list on our website. Please ask us for full details!
This tour is operated by Gate 1 Travel
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